The MAC program (Maintaining Anesthesia Certification) is NBCRNA's recertification system, replacing the CPC program. It keeps the familiar continuing education credits but swaps the high-stakes CPC Assessment for MAC Check, a quarterly, self-paced knowledge assessment, and drops the Core Modules requirement.
MAC launched in 2024, and NBCRNA says all CRNAs will be enrolled by 2026. Your personal transition date depends on your certification cycle, visible in your NBCRNA portal.
Key points
- MAC Check replaces the CPC Assessment with quarterly, self-paced questions.
- Credits carry over: 60 Class A and 40 Class B per four-year cycle.
- Core Modules are no longer required.
- Still in a CPC cycle? Finish CPC requirements first. Check your portal.
Why CPC went away
The CPC program ran on an eight-year cycle built from two four-year segments. Each four-year cycle required 60 Class A credits and 40 Class B credits, plus four Core Modules, and the second cycle ended with the CPC Assessment (CPCA), a proctored exam.
The CPCA was the sticking point. CRNAs objected to a single high-stakes test deciding the certification of experienced clinicians. NBCRNA built MAC in response to that feedback, replacing the exam with continuous assessment.
The MAC structure
MAC has three components:
MAC Check. Replaces the CPCA. Instead of one exam every eight years, you answer knowledge questions quarterly, on your own schedule, from your NBCRNA dashboard. It is longitudinal: it reinforces and measures core knowledge continuously, with feedback, rather than testing it once. It covers the same four domains the CPCA did: airway management, applied clinical pharmacology, physiology and pathophysiology, and anesthesia equipment and technology.
MAC Ed. 60 Class A credits per four-year cycle. Class A credits are AANA prior-approved continuing education with an assessment component, such as a post-test. Same requirement CPC had.
MAC Dev. 40 Class B credits per four-year cycle. Class B covers broader professional development: teaching, research, committee work, conferences without assessments. Extra Class A credits can substitute for Class B. The details are in our continuing education guide.
What MAC removed: the four Core Modules are no longer required. They still exist as an optional Class A credit source, but you do not have to buy them.
The cycle structure
Credits still run on four-year cycles, so the renewal rhythm feels like CPC. The difference is what sits across the cycles.
Under CPC, the eight-year arc mattered because the CPCA landed at the end of the second four-year cycle. Under MAC, there is no end-of-cycle exam. MAC Check runs continuously through every cycle, so the eight-year structure loses its cliff. You renew every four years by completing MAC Ed and MAC Dev credits and participating meaningfully in MAC Check.
Your renewal window opens five months before the end of your four-year cycle. Renewal, fees, and your personalized timeline all run through the NBCRNA portal.
Renewing in 2026-2027: what you still do under CPC
If your renewal lands in 2026 or 2027 and you are still in the CPC program, you complete the CPC requirements for your current cycle before moving into MAC. That means:
- 60 Class A credits
- 40 Class B credits
- Four Core Modules
- The CPCA, only if you are completing your second four-year CPC cycle
NBCRNA stated in 2025 that over 21,000 CRNAs were still in CPC and due to renew that year, with the rest transitioning afterward on their individual timelines. Do not guess your status. Log into the portal, check whether your current cycle is CPC or MAC, and read your personalized transition page. CRNAs have lost certifications to assumptions about requirements that did not apply to them.
Once you complete the final CPC renewal, you enter MAC: Core Modules gone, CPCA gone, MAC Check on.
What this means in practice
- Start MAC Check early in each quarter. The whole point is low-stakes spacing. Letting quarters pile up recreates the cramming MAC was built to remove.
- Keep earning credits the same way. Your Class A sources do not change. Vendors report Class A credits to AANA for members; you document Class B yourself.
- Watch your fees and dates. MAC has its own fee schedule on nbcrna.com. An expired certification is a credentialing emergency, so track your cycle end date alongside your licenses and DEA registration.
- NSPM-C holders: from October 2026, your subspecialty maintenance also moves into MAC Check through quarterly NSPM questions. See CRNAs in pain management.
For the broader recertification picture, including state licensure interactions, see CRNA recertification.
Questions
Is there still an exam under MAC?
No single proctored exam. MAC Check replaces the CPCA with quarterly questions answered from your own device, with ongoing feedback.
Did the credit requirements change?
No. 60 Class A and 40 Class B per four-year cycle carried over from CPC into MAC Ed and MAC Dev. Core Modules were dropped.
I renew in 2027. Am I under CPC or MAC?
It depends on your individual cycle. If you are still in a CPC cycle, you finish CPC requirements, including Core Modules and possibly the CPCA, then transition. Check your NBCRNA portal.
What happens if I ignore MAC Check?
Meaningful participation is a program requirement. Skipping it puts your renewal at risk. NBCRNA's program handbook on nbcrna.com defines the participation rules; read the current version rather than relying on a colleague's memory.